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Community Disaster Drill Starts at CTC

July 9, 2009 - Using handheld scanners, paramedics on Thursday performed something called a "quick scan triage" on about 40 Columbus Technical College practical nursing students during a mock disaster. The triage was phase one in a community-wide disaster drill based on a dual-prong scenario of multiple tornadoes hitting our area and an overturned tanker truck that required a decontamination procedure for its "victims."

 Disaster Drill
During a disaster drill, about 40 practical nursing students lined up with their scan forms as paramedics checked their "injuries."

The students were each given forms with personal information and descriptions of their "injuries." Information from the forms were entered into the hi-tech scanners and each victim then received a card that can be scanned for quick processing.

Disaster Drill-scanner
Hand held scanners help paramedics quickly "triage" patients, saving valuable time when injuries are assessed.

The students were loaded onto school buses where they were then transported to area hospitals. Their injuries ranged from minor cuts and scrapes to broken bones and internal injuries. There were even a few who, in real life, would be transported to the morgue.

Disaster drill
One of the "walking dead" from the community disaster drill prepares for transport to the morgue.

These annual drills are vital for first responders and area medical facilities to measure their level of preparedness, communication and target any problem areas that may occur in a real emergency. The mock scenario is to prepare everyone for the worst in hopes that it never becomes a reality.

Besides Columbus Technical College, other participants in the July 9 community disaster drill included: Columbus Regional hospitals, St. Francis Hospital, the West Central Georgia Health District, Emergency Medical Services, and the Emergency Management Agency.

For more information on the scanning technology, visit the WTVM website for a story that aired on Thursday, July 9, 2009